Quick and Common Questions!

>>Do raiders target RP regions?

Very rarely! In fact we very rarely target any region at all for what they do. Some factions in Gameplay put more weight in that, but generally not raiders, and the ones that do generally aren't targeting roleplayers.

>>Why/How do you target regions then?

To answer this question, it's important to understand that there are two main types of raiding - occupations and tags

Tags are like graffiti - it's a process where we rapidly raid many regions in a single update, but only make cosmetic changes like changing the WFE, flag, regional tags, and beginning to close embassies. For this type of raids, we target any regions that have no password, very few endorsements on a delegate (less than 3 or 4 usually) or no delegate at all, and that have a delegate seat with the necessary powers (at least appearance, or the executive power to give ourselves other powers.

Operations are longer raiders, where we stay in a region for days, weeks, or even months. Goals vary, but the target selection is stricter (if still pretty vague) - most importantly no founder, and then decently large size (usually 20+ nations), workable endorsement number, no password or a password we can get, etc etc.

In short, it's a numbers and options game! Not much attention is paid to what goes on in the region when picking targets.

>>How can I prevent my region from being raided?

Most importantly, *have a founder!* Founders have ultimate power. They can clean up raids that happen, and make you less likely to be raided in the first place because of that. To avoid tags, foundered regions can make the delegate non-executive (so they cannot give themselves more power), and also not give them other powers - use the RO options to assign them to the *nation*, and not to the *position*. Alternatively, put up a password, but we all know those can inhibit growth. To avoid ops...having a founder means you will never be occupied, and if someone tries, you just boot them out!

>>What if we don't have a founder?

Well, you really should just go and found a new region. Lock the old one down under a password with one or two nations inside if you really want to keep it as a reference, and just make a new one. If you really insist though...

Avoiding tags is pretty simple. Have a password, or have enough endorsements that you're not an easy target. 6 or more should suffice most of the time. Avoid ops can be a bit harder. You need good password security to avoid raider infiltrators. Any time you give it out, change it before the next update occurs. Don't let strangers or recent newcomers have too many regional powers, or too many endorsements. Have a delegate, preferably with a lot of endorsements - 20 is okay, 30 or more is better. Importantly, also make sure folks do not all endorse newcomers - if your del has 20 endorsements, and a raider "sleeper" can get 10, then you might as well only have 10 endorsements. Set and enforce "endorsement caps" for anyone you do not trust completely. Or, hang out in that sweet spot where you're too big to be hit by a tag run, but too small to be considered a good target by most orgs - 6-8 endorsements but only 15-20 nations. Your mileage for success on the last one may vary :P

>>Oops, someone messed up and we got raided! What do we do now?

Determine the type of raid. Did all the raiders resign WA right after, and maybe even leave the region? Congrats, you got tagged. It's a mild annoyance and nothing more. Are they still in the WA, sticking around, increasing their numbers, and making a bunch of raiders regional officers, you're being occupied. Oof. That's a bit more complex.

If tagged: All you have to do is clean up. Elect someone delegate. If you don't have a copy of your old WFE, there is probably one here - http://udl.taijitu.org/wfe_index/ Fix your stuff and take steps to avoid it next time.

If occupied: Well, you can always just move everyone to a new region with a founder. Bit late to start now, but it is always an option. If you insist on trying to take it back, or making it so annoying and time consuming to occupy that the raiders leave...Start off by doing a few things. Organize among yourselves and do the following:
>Get all possible regional members in the WA
>Make sure you are not endorsing any of the raiders
>Make sure you are endorsing each other
>Make sure no one gets to angry on the RMB. Getting warned helps no one. (Maybe even try chatting - many raiders will interact with pleasant conversation, and it can even be kinda fun for some regions to have new visitors)
This removes any free endorsements you're giving the raiders, and starts collecting more influence on you, the natives, making you harder to kick out. Next, contact defenders, who may have already noticed the raid, and help them with their efforts to organize a liberation. They'll likely pick a native that already has some endorsements to try and make the delegate again, and being in contact with them helps that. Endorse any defenders that make it into the region and do not get booted out, to help make them harder to boot out later. If you get booted out, you can jump back in at update with the defenders. You can also call your NS friends to help get more numbers jumping on liberation attempts. Your goal is to do one of three things: Wait out the planned operation length (which can be anything from 3 days to close embassies to "however long we need to empty the region and lock it down"), make the operation take so long that it becomes no longer worth it to spend time there rather than in a new target, or take the region back by force. Any one of these results in the end goal of the raiders leaving.

And when they're gone...please consider how to make sure it does not happen again!


>>Why do you raid?

Your answer here will vary depending on who you ask, since there are many reasons. Challenges of speed, planning, or infiltration. The thrill of intense updates, moving in exact time with a tight-knit group, often while blasting music. The closeness and friendship present in many raider orgs. Because it's edgy. Because it's meta. Because you can. To project power. Ultimately, to have fun. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and we understand that it upsets people. Most raiders do not feed on people being upset. Being raided is annoying, and we know that. It is not the end of the world. You don't have to like it, but you should try to at least vaguely understand it, to better make use of the tools at your disposal to avoid it. If the mechanics sound fun, but you do not want to attack people, maybe try defending instead. If you want to avoid it entirely, take the advice above. If you're feeling adventurous... try it! Maybe, like Swith, you'll find you actually love it too :P